Frames of Family
by SilverInk2011
Summary: Alex comforts Bobby after Frame, after Bobby feels guilty for his own reasons.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and stories belong to USA and Dick Wolf**

A/N: Post Frame fluff. Alex tells Bobby that he isn't alone. Please review. Thanks. Love, Lawabidingchild.

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Frames of Family

Bobby stared around the empty space of One Police Plaza. He couldn't believe what was happening.

Nicole was dead. Declan killed her. Frank got in the way.

Nicole was dead. Declan killed her. Frank got in the way.

Nicole was dead. Declan killed her. Frank got in the way.

Nicole dead. Declan killed. Frank murdered.

Nicole...Declan...Frank...Nicole...Declan...Frank...Nicole...Declan...Frank.

He could feel his face growing hot with anger, fear, sadness, and, the worst feeling in the world, loneliness. It was lonely. He was losing everyone. Everyone that mattered to him was somehow leaving this world. There was no one to come home to. No one to go to. No one to turn to.

There was no one.

No one. Those two words stung his heart. He couldn't believe how much happened. His mother died just the past year. He knew nothing more about his father. His real father was an executed serial killer. He was in deep. He couldn't believe that there was almost nothing to come home to. No one could understand this empty feeling. They wouldn't be able to understand it until they felt it for themselves.

"Bobby!" called a soft familiar voice. Some one was approaching him. That someone he has known for eight years. She was approaching him and coming closer by the second. "Hey," she greeted softly, "are you okay?"

He returned her gaze. He couldn't believe this. He missed this. Something he overlooked. He was never one to overlook things. He always tried to get the facts straight.

Her long blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were dark but full of warmth and kindness. He couldn't believe that he didn't see this earlier. He could feel her hands touching his shoulder. He felt immediate guilt. He had forgotten her.

He had forgotten the one woman who he felt as his own family. He did not mean to. He was wallowing in so much self-pity that he forgot about who else was around him.

Alex.

He stood up and walked toward the door. She stood back and watched him blunder out of the precinct. She widened her eyes to observe his changes. Then she sat down in his chair and placed her head in her hands.

She remembered the time she became enraged with his dishonesty. It was a time when he was suspended for placing his job and faith in the wrong hands. In the end, he admitted that he did not want to see her get hurt. That tugged on her heartstrings. She could not believe someone could care about her like that.

Not since Joe.

That brought her back to before his suspension. She watched and facilitated his stint up at Tate's Correctional Facility. She sat there for days, monitoring his movements and calculating his moves. That is, until he was sent to that room of solitary. He was strapped down to a table for three days in hot light. She remembered not being able to contact or monitor him for a few days and being worried out of her mind.

Then there was Joe's murder. She remembered that Bobby tried so hard to find out what happened to him, and she just accused him of playing with his death like it was one of his puzzles. She regretted those words when she was cuffing the man who really did kill her husband.

He was one of the people who stayed with her when she was still going through the trauma of her kidnapping. He even accompanied her to her therapy sessions and came to help her move to a new home afterwords.

He realized that she stayed by him through his mother's death. When he found out who his real father was, she didn't find that horrible. In fact, she told him that just because he's the son of a serial killer doesn't make him like his father.

He was grateful every time she forgave him for his actions.

He was grateful for every time he had a problem, she could listen. She never had the time to tune him out. She always listened, no matter how boring his points were or how much trivia would come out of his mouth.

That's when she realized that he was missing his family.

He realized that she was still there, even though he had done so much to hurt her. He realized that he had broken her heart so many times that seeing her return to him had been nothing short of a miracle.

Alex glanced at the clock. He left thirty minutes ago. She did what she wanted to, and that was chasing him down the streets of Manhattan.

She set off at a run. She huffed out huge breaths as she struggled to catch up with him. When she saw his large, burly form slowly making its way down the street, she sped up, running at high speeds. "Bobby!" she called.

When he turned around to see who it was, he felt a small frame slam into him. He was caught by surprise. He was surprised when he saw it was only little Alex Eames. She may be small, but she's so strong.

"Sorry...I didn't...think you'd stop...so quickly," she panted.

"Are you okay, Eames?" Bobby asked her, noticing her heavy breathing.

"Yeah," she said, catching her breath as fast as she can.

"Did you run all this way?" he asked her.

She nodded, "Yes."

Bobby was looking around frantically. "We should find somewhere for you to sit down, Eames," he said, his eyes still scanning the area for a spot to sit down.

"I'm fine," she said sternly, her breath finally catching up to her. She focused her attention on him. "Are you?" she asked.

Bobby was still trying to keep his focus away from Alex. She, however, tried to turn it toward her. "Hey," she whispered, cupping his cheek and turning him toward her, "what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she snapped. "Nothing."

He still looked confused. "I know you've caused me pain and I know you deeply regret all of those times, Bobby, but I also know what you've done for me. I'm not mad, Bobby. I just want you to talk to me."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Oh for the love of God, Bobby," she groaned. "I'm not mad. I just want you to tell me what's wrong."

"I've forgotten you," he whispered as though ashamed. She gave him a confused look.

"You what?" she asked him, clearly confused. "No you haven't. You're talking to me."

"Eames," he groaned in agony, "I've been so wrapped up in what has happened that I completely forgot that you existed."

She gave him a tender smile, which showed everything that didn't matter. She felt that all he was groaning about was so silly, she couldn't believe he was thinking this. Then again, it was Bobby. He always thought like this. "Oh, Bobby," she whispered, "let me walk you home."

She slung her arm through his own and rested her head on his upper arm. She didn't want him to forget that she was there. Bobby looked down at her. "Why do you care so much?" asked Bobby.

"Because I hate seeing you so distressed," said Alex.

"I thought that was supposed to be me," joked Bobby, trying to make the mood a little lighter.

"Well, it's usually me," she reminded him. He fell silent immediately.

"When I said I'd forgotten about you," he began, knowing that she didn't want to start the topic again, "I was wallowing in my own self pity. I didn't realize that I have someone right there, someone who has been here, by my side for eight years. I was so focused on who left, I forgot about who stayed." His eyes were moistening at that point.

"I stay because I care about you, Bobby," she said. "And if you can't see through that, well, then you're more dense than you let on."

"Really?" he asked, confused by her words.

"Really, Bobby. You've helped me and gave me strength more times than you hurt me. So if you forget me for a little bit, it's okay. Just don't forget me completely."

Bobby stopped walking. He stood still long enough to pull the little woman into his arms and take in her essence. She couldn't believe that this small little woman could have such a huge heart and want to stay with him. He always thought that she was going to leave him like the rest of the people in his life.

But then he realized she was just as much his family as any of the other people in his life.


End file.
